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Shaddreth
Better known throughout the world as The Shattered Isles, Shaddreth is home to the descendants of great druid kings who settled there after the War of Good and Evil. Now it is inhabited by the Eight Tribes of Shaddreth. Muay, Knoll, Vesiik, Yissk, Panthra, Hylock, Gemgall, and Rydhal. Each tribe worships a spirit animal which has become a part of their living being, so much so that their descendants have become more beast than man. Early History Elves who would have no part of the war took to the forest and asked for protection from the High Obhed. In response, the Great Tree gave them dreams of a land bathed in sunlight with water as clear as crystal. The druids built large ships to carry refugees from Everes to the new world where the titans once fought the gods in open conflict. The result was a great shockwave that splintered the once whole island created by Volcanus into a chain of thousands of islands, some large and fertile, others small and worthless crags. The druid kings settled here and took with them their knowledge of Prime, the energy of nature which they used to settle into their new home. It took quite some time for the druid kings to settle into their new domain, but as with most things, their peace did not last long. The islands of their dreams soon became their nightmares as the Great Tree showed them visions of a war where brother kills brother, enemies become friends, and the druids would need to discard their humanity to survive the coming tides. That war was the War of the Serpent. The War of the Serpent One of the druid kings, Beik, was seduced by Lencalo, the serpent, who whispered dissention into his ear and told him that he alone had the power to unite the clans and conquer Shaddreth. The men who followed Beik gathered to him to hear the prophecy of the serpent, and in that instant the Yissk came to be. The men took on the form of the serpent and began to slaughter their brothers. The other kings knew that they must obtain power as well if they were to survive and so their leader, Shamlen, sent them on a quest to find the other spirit animals hidden within the island. They were successful, and in turn those who followed each king transformed into the likeness of the Totems, the spirit beasts. The power drove some of the kings mad, others were empowered and filled with wisdom. When the smoke cleared, the battle lines were drawn: On one side The Muay, Vesiik, and Gemgall; on the other, Yissk, Knoll, and Rydhal. The serpents knew they were not powerful enough even with the mighty Rydhal at their side, and so they turned their sights upon the Panthera. With the help of the other two clans, the Panthera were enslaved and forced to fight the others. The Hylock took to the sea and turned their back on all of their brethren, instead choosing to build their cities and search for coral in the ocean's depths. The war took its toll on all of the clans, and it was not until the leader of the Gemgall, Yearick, found the power to call upon the Totem Grimvol, the Bear, that he and his brothers in arms began to turn the tide despite the enslaved Panthera fighting. The Muay led by Urdon the Wildhammer crushed the Knoll, sending them running for the barren islands of Thenn, and the Gemgall pushed the Rydhal back to their fortress of Vastaar built atop the mountain overlooking the Panthera's homeland and shrine to the Totem Felhallas, the Panther. After raging for ten years, the war came down to the Battle of Jer'ii, the Yissk's fortress where the remaining forces decided to have their final bloody battle of the field to forever decide the fate of Shaddreth. When the dust had settled, the Muay, Gemgall, and Vesiik were victorious. As part of the truce, the Rhydal were banished from Vastaar to the islands of Torval, the Rhino, and the Yissk had their lands reduced to a single island chain in the east known as the Waving Spine. This tenuous truce would hold for hundreds of years until foreign invaders sparked new alliances and reforge broken ones. The Eight Tribes After this war the great tribes were seperated, scattered to the for corners of the Islands where they began to rebuild their lives after a terrible conflict that nearly took all of their numbers. It is in this peaceful period that each clan began to develop an identity for itself. Gemgall - Totem of the Bear, Grimvol Hylock - Totem of the Lionfish, Dreth Knoll - Totem of the Hyena, Lan Muay - Totem of the Ox, Arcus Panthera - Totem of the Panther, Felhallas Rydhal - Totem of the Rino, Torval Vesiik - Totem of the Lizard, Beltaas Yessk - Totem of the Serpent, Lencalo